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and to love another and be genuinely
faith. In fact it may be precisely faith's
aware of what they need?'
opposite, an extremity of doubt that
Rabbi Hirschfield is a man who
boomerangs into strident belief?'
finds sacred places everywhere,
Rabbi Hirschfield now travels
whether an improvised synagogue, a
about 100 days per year, teaching and
lecture hall or the inside of a taxi. For
speaking to Jews of all backgrounds,
him, holiness is "that which you take
including the unaffiliated, and he
with utmost seriousness and treat
meets regularly with religious lead-
with greatest reverence!'
ers and people of many faiths. A
In the book's introduction, he
frequent commentator in the media
recounts an unusual conversation with
on religion, he's creator and host of
a taxi driver, a former addict who was
a television series, Building Bridges:
saved by Christ, who has lots of ques-
Abrahamic Perspectives on the World
tions for a rabbi. The
Today, which airs
book's title comes
on Bridges TV, the
out of their brief
American Muslim
time together.
TV Network. About
"I think Judaism's
his work, he writes,
ancient tradition can
"I have tried to help
help all people find
people discover that
deeper meaning and
no one is ever 100
greater joy in their
percent right or 100
lives, whether or not
percent wrong?'
FINDING FAITH WIT HOUT FANATACISM
they are Jewish. I
"I love conver-
have come to believe
sations," he says.
that religious tradi-
"That's the most
tion exists not to
valuable thing we
serve the faithful but
can create right
to help the faithful
now — the con-
serve the world?'
versations between
BRAD HIR. SCE-IFIELD
He takes Judaism
people who aren't
seriously and lov-
currently talking
ingly. When asked
and more inclusive
whether there's ever a downside of
conversations between people who
pluralism, he notes the possibility of
already are:'
"sliding into the paralysis of relativ-
His penetrating book is a work of
ism:' explaining that misunderstood
religious philosophy and practical
pluralism is making no choices
applications, built upon his own story,
and his study of Jewish texts, told with because all possibilities seem the
same.
candor. He presents the code of open-
In this time of heightened interfaith
ness by which he now lives, the ability
and intra-faith tension, Hirschfield's
to listen and understand the other's
book is particularly valuable. He
point of view — even if he doesn't
suggests that all people, in order to
agree — while maintaining a deep
achieve spiritual depth and religious
sense of self.
About the mix of autobiography and growth, try extending themselves a
couple times per year.
interpretation in his writing, he says,
In his own travels, he makes a
"I don't know how to do it any other
point of stretching to the point of
way. I think it's really important for
discomfort, both to the right and to
people to tell their stories. I'm hop-
the left, by spending sacred time in a
ing that if I'm willing to tell mine, it
different community than he's accus-
will evoke the abilities of others to
tomed to.
tell theirs. Everyone has a story, and
"The sense of the dignity and
there's something to learn from every
authenticity of what others are doing
one of them?'
should be wider than a person is com-
"The book is a kind of spiritual,
fortable with;' he says, hopeful that
intellectual compass of navigating an
people can learn to "make the most
incredibly polarized world:' he says.
room for one another?'
He'd like people to take away the mes-
About Hebron today, he says, "The
sage that "it's really possible to find
passion and commitment and genuine only way things will get better is if
the people who know we have to leave
openness — you don't need to ever
understand why it's worth crying
buy into the idea that it's ever one or
about, and the people who would cry
the other. It's possible to really love
about leaving appreciate that we can't
yourself and be profoundly in touch
stay?' ❑
with what you need and want most
YOU 12
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